I’ve had a fantastic time returning to Fodlan.
Unlike the original Warriors spin-off, though, this isn’t another “Best of Fire Emblem” mashup.
Playing the original isn’t required, though you’d undeniably get more from this.
Honestly, I’ve never had this much fun with a musou game before.
Away from combat, Shez spends their free time in a war camp, travelling between facilities on foot.
Just don’t expect romance this time, as support levels cap at A-rank.
Heading straight to the main objective is certainly an option, it just isn’t necessarily the most beneficial.
Every region claimed earns strategy resources - points used towards picking strategies for the big fight.
Every character has something called an Awakening Gauge, too, which takes longer to fill.
Don’t forget those new objectives that keep popping up, requiring you to be adaptable.
Unlike main battles, these smaller-scale engagements don’t keep things as varied, so this becomes slightly repetitive.
Thankfully, Three Hopes' strategic approach helps quell this.
Troops can be ordered towards certain targets, defending key areas or going all in on particular units.
Furthermore, special attacks are limited by durability, like we see in most Fire Emblem games.
Also present from Three Houses is the way each unit can take exams to learn a new class.
Better still, if you’re worried about performance problems, fear not.
Three Hopes is genuinely impressive.
I’d love to see where Nintendo’s musou spinoff concept goes next.
